Rust
by xSakuraBlossom
Summary: Oishi and Eiji have always been the Golden Pair. But what happens when suddenly, they're not as good as they used to be? Uh... I don't really think it's angst, but kind of dark-ish? I'll stop talking now... read for yourself o.O


Disclaimer: Yeah, I wish. Can't sue me; I don't claim to own PoT. Although there might be a bit of ecstasy floating around… I mean, what?

A/N: Uh… yeah. See if you like. I don't know if even I like it, so… oh wells.

* Rust

It had taken a while for Oishi to notice it. It hadn't been a sudden shift, more a slow gradual procession of events that led to a sudden realization.

The Golden Pair, which had always been equal in strength… suddenly wasn't.

It wasn't that they weren't in sync. They still were. The problem was, they were unmatched in skill. The mark of a good doubles pair was that neither was weaker than the other. They had to be perfectly matched. If one was better than the other, the weaker player would often be targeted, leading to a quick loss. But if they were evenly matched, their opponents couldn't find a chink in their armor. The Golden Pair had never had this problem before, but now, suddenly, their opponents were finding the weaker link easily.

Before, Eiji's acrobatics often left one side or the other open. Oishi had been able to cover those gaps, and wait for an opportunity to destroy the opponent's formation. Eiji was the attacker; Oishi controlled the game. It was a powerful combination, and they had equal parts.

Also, due to Eiji's rather limited endurance, they had worked out a formula for games. Eiji played more in the first half, while Oishi took over in the latter half, until Eiji got back a bit of his energy. In this manner, they were able to utilize both their skills over the course of a match. Again, they compensated for each other.

But, over time, playing with Oishi had rubbed off on Eiji; he was learning to think more about the game than just returning the ball using acrobatics. Soon, Oishi was discovering that he barely needed to do anything- Eiji already knew which gaps to aim for, where to hit to destroy their formations.

This meant Oishi's only job now was to cover when Eiji ran out of stamina. And even that was put in jeopardy, when Oishi's wrist got injured. He was barely touching the ball now, other than to serve.

And then, finally, Eiji increased his stamina. And Oishi was completely useless on the courts. He was obsolete- there was no use for him.

With a bittersweet smile, Oishi remembered one of the earliest conversations he and Eiji had. Eiji had been feeling a bit upset about something or other, and had demanded of Oishi, "You'll never leave me, right?" Oishi had replied truthfully, "I'll be here for as long as you need me." Contentedly, Eiji had leaned back on his elbows, looking out at the sunset. "Then you'll be here forever. Or at least until I can beat you!" he added, grinning mischievously.

But Eiji had already surpassed Oishi long ago. That fact had only become more obvious during the last match. The other team had realized early on that Oishi was the weaker player. They hit every shot at him. Eiji tried his best to cover for Oishi, but even he couldn't do that much. In the end, the Golden Pair lost, 6-2. Every point they won was because of Eiji; every point they lost was because of Oishi.

That last match had driven home this realization that Oishi was no longer needed. Eiji had tried to cheer Oishi up, saying they'd do better next time, but Oishi knew better. All he was doing was dragging Eiji down, holding him back. If it had been a singles match, perhaps Eiji could have won. His net play was certainly good enough to do so.

It was time. Oishi hadn't played a match with Eiji for a long time now- in fact, since the end of middle school. 3 years ago. Eiji had always said he only wished to beat Oishi, that they would stay doubles partners until then. Now was the time to discover if Oishi was still needed.

Oishi sought Eiji out and asked for a match. Eiji, not suspecting anything, was overjoyed to finally play Oishi again. Grinning cockily, Eiji yelled over the net, "I'm going to beat you this time!"

They started. 1 set match. By the second game, the difference in their skills was painfully obvious. By the 4th game, Oishi was breathing hard, while Eiji was barely winded. By the 5th game, despite his confidence, Eiji had lost his cheerful smile, instead taking on a troubled frown.

By the 6th game, it was all over. 6-0. Oishi's loss.

He'd sworn to himself he wouldn't lose control. He'd promised himself that he would just walk calmly to the net and shake hands with Eiji, congratulating him on a great game. He'd vowed that he would walk away without regret, leaving Eiji free to move on and improve.

And yet, despite himself, he fell to his knees, tears streaming out incessantly. He couldn't turn his back on all the memories they'd made, all the times they had shared. This match signified the end of the Golden Pair. Eiji was already so far above Oishi, like a shining star he could never reach. Playing doubles with the redheaded acrobat would only drag him down.

Eiji had been concerned throughout the match. He'd improved, certainly, but he'd never expected to surpass Oishi in such a manner. It had been so… one-sided, somehow. He'd always enjoyed playing against Oishi, since they were about the same level, but all of a sudden, he was completely destroying his doubles partner. It wasn't fun any more.

And then, Oishi collapsed, falling onto his knees in the middle of the court. Without another thought, Eiji sprinted across the court, vaulting over the net easily and landing by his partner. "Oishi! What's wrong? Oishi!"

But somehow, Eiji already knew what was wrong. Oishi had always defeated Eiji easily before. To be so suddenly destroyed, and so easily… Eiji could kind of understand.

And then, Oishi said something that completely shocked Eiji.

"That's it, Eiji. You're free now. Free of me. You can play with whomever you want and become better. You don't need me now." He couldn't stop the tears. Was he really so selfish, that he would keep Eiji back merely to keep him company? Oishi had to let Eiji go for his own good.

But Eiji wasn't having any of it. "What do you mean, free of you? I don't want to be free of you! I wanted to play doubles with you forever! Didn't you promise me we would play together forever? Are you going back on your word?"

The tears weren't stopping any time soon. If anything, they were falling faster and faster, drenching the court around him. "We never promised that. You said that you wanted to play doubles with me until you could defeat me in a match. You've done that, so easily that there was no doubt. You can go and improve yourself now. I won't hold you back any more…"

Eiji couldn't believe his ears. "Oishi… is this because you don't want to play with me anymore? Is that why this is happening?" Oishi looked up, startled so much that his tears paused. "What? No, Eiji! I would love to continue playing doubles with you! But at this point, all I'm doing is dragging you down…" Eiji shook his head vehemently. "No. I'll only play tennis with you, Oishi. I don't want to play with anyone else! Ever! If you don't play with me, I won't play at all!"

Oishi was still confused. "But I'm holding you back! Don't you want to become a better doubles pair? Every time, we've lost because of me…" Eiji just mock-slapped him. "Oishi! Is that all you're worried about? It's nothing a bit of training can't fix! You were the one that helped me out every time I needed help with training! It's about time I helped you out with yours! Come on, we can start right now if you want." Without waiting for a response, Eiji pulled Oishi up. "Come on! Let's go for a run!" Eiji didn't give Oishi a chance to refuse, just started jogging. Oishi, still in a daze, followed.

Oishi ran quietly beside Eiji. Softly, he said, "You really want to play doubles with me?" Eiji nodded. "You promised you'd be there as long as I needed you, right?" Oishi nodded cautiously. Cheerfully, Eiji said, "Well then, you'd better get used to me, 'cause I meant it when I said you'd be here forever! Oishi turned to look at Eiji. The redhead was exuberant, delighted that he'd finally discovered the source of Oishi's recent gloomy demeanor. The setting sun lit his already red hair on fire, belying his fiery passion for all he did. The bright gleam in his eyes only accentuated his beauty.

"You know I love you, right?" Oishi wasn't sure what made him say it, but he did. Eiji turned to stare back at him. "Of course I know! We've always loved each other. I thought you knew!" Oishi was pretty sure Eiji didn't know what Oishi meant, but that was ok. He could wait. He would wait until Eiji was ready. But until then, he would just stay by his side and be there whenever Eiji needed him. Because that was what Oishi did.

Together, the Golden Pair ran, chasing the sunbeams into the sunset.

A/N: Meh, don't really like how it ended, but that's ok. Whatever! So, review! Tell me what I can improve! Tell me what I should have done with the ending or something! Flame me if you really want! Just review!


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